NAACP Is 'Outraged And Heartbroken,' And Will Pursue 'Civil Rights Charges' Against George Zimmerman

George Zimmerman chats
with his defense attorney Mark O'Mara (R) during an early morning
recess in his second-degree murder trial in the fatal shooting of
Trayvon Martin in Seminole circuit court, in Sanford, Florida,
July 3, 2013.REUTERS/Jacob
Langston/Pool

The NAACP said late Saturday that it was "outraged and
heartbroken" over the not-guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman
trial, vowing to pursue "civil rights charges" with the
Department of Justice.

"We are outraged and heartbroken over today’s verdict," said Ben
Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP. "We stand with Trayvon’s
family and we are called to act. We will pursue civil rights
charges with the Department of Justice, we will continue to fight
for the removal of Stand Your Ground laws in every state, and we
will not rest until racial profiling in all its forms is
outlawed."

The NAACP also promoted a petition urging Attorney General Eric
Holder to act and open a civil rights case against Zimmerman. A
spokesman told Business Insider that in the three hours since the
verdict had been read, it has garnered almost 100,000 signatures.

The petition, in part, reads:

"Today, with the acquittal of George Zimmerman, it is time
for the Department of Justice to act.

The most fundamental of civil rights — the right to life —
was violated the night George Zimmerman stalked and then took the
life of Trayvon Martin. We ask that the Department of Justice
file civil rights charges against Mr. Zimmerman for this
egregious violation.

Please address the travesties of the tragic death of
Trayvon Martin by acting today."

Defense attorney Mark O'Mara said in a press conference after the
verdict was read that he doesn't expect Zimmerman's days in court
to be over.

"We'll see how many civil lawsuits will spawn from this
fiasco," O'Mara said.